Thursday, 24 November 2016

Newcastle Singer 911

Words & photos - Daniel Bevis

As with all Singer builds, this one is named after its intended destination: in this case, Newcastle. But it isn't finished in the trademark black and white of the Magpies, but instead in, er, blue and white.
Debuting at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, it's the fifth Singer to be built for a UK buyer - and you'll be pleased to know that it's a 4.0, the most powerful option on offer. If you're not au fait with the Singer MO, it is, in a nutshell, this: they begin with a 964-generation car, which gets artfully reworked to incorporate the styling of 1970s 911s. But that simplistic description doesn't do justice to the sheer perfectionism that's imbued into each rarefied facet of the build - just casting an eye over the photos will show how much thought and effort goes into each and every detail. These are exquisite connoisseurs' machines; the starting price for a bespoke Singer build is around $400,000 (£321,000), with the example you're looking at here coming in closer to $550,000 (£441,000). You get a strengthened chassis, a reworked nose to alter the fixing points and allow space for an oil cooler, an integral (but removeable) rollcage, custom carbon-fibre body panels, and unique Singer embellishments such as lights and hinges made specifically for the car. The shell is treated to thirty-four coats of primer, paint and lacquer, to hide the carbon-fibre weave and keep the authentic feel of a classic steel Porsche. And the cherry on the cake is a custom-built motor, available in 3.6-, 3.8- or 4.0-litre displacements and featuring 997 RS upgrades. This car, a 4.0-litre, has 390bhp and will hit 60mph in a smidge over three seconds.
The suspension is bespoke, the wheels are custom-made, and the interior is a sublime work of sepia-tinted art. Oh, and the company was founded by the cousin of Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. So yes, this restomodded Porsche rocks on all levels.